**CrossFit VictriX is closed today, however, your membership at CrossFit VictriX will be honored at CrossFit East Sacramento during the 8:30 am and 10:00 am class times. But if you go there, you must bring your Mike Tyson animal attitude and eat their children. Represent CFVX!**

***CrossFit Centurion is having a fundraiser. CrossFit VictriX is closing on Saturday 12/19/09 so that all athletes can make the long drive over to Rancho Cordova to support our extended CrossFit community. Click Here for more information. Please sign up on the white board so I can provide CrossFit Centurion a headcount.***

The SSD Health and Wellness Team along with CrossFit Centurion present:

A Benefit for Jess!

A $25 donation (or whatever you can afford) gets you a workout you will not soon forget, a free BBQ weather permitting and most importantly the knowing that a little bit of suffering on your part, brings a little light to someone else.

Please RSVP so we know how many low-carb burgers to make!

Jess Elizabeth is a 32 year old single mom who has been battling endometrial cancer for the last three years. After a complete hysterectomy numerous rounds of chemotherapy and no insurance she finds herself in desperate need. She just recently underwent treatment for neutropenia that has left her unable to work.

**Coach’s Note: This is 9 minutes of work, with adequate rest. Go for full power output. Think highest rep’s possible, similar to Fight Gone Bad.**

I Carb, You Carb, We All Carb…
…but, when you eat carbohydrates, you better believe that the quality of the food you are eating matters. Try to make your carbohydrates all come from complex sources as opposed to simple carbs. Complex carbs enter the system slower than simple carbs, thus eliciting less of an insulin spike. Simple carbs deliver sugars into the blood system too fast eliciting a high insulin response (spike). Some examples of complex carbs are fruits, vegetables, whole grains. Some examples of simple carbs are juices, sugar, and white flour. Guaranteed if your food comes in a box and has more than 5 ingredients in it, it’s full of simple carbs.

**CrossFit Victrix will be closed on Saturday December 12. Your membership at CrossFit Victrix will be honored at CrossFit East Sacramento during Saturday.***

Workout of the Day for Wednesday 12/09/09

“Cindy”
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
OR
“Mary”
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Handstand Push-ups
10 One legged squats, alternating
15 Pull-ups

Looks similiar to Food, Inc. Anyone seen it?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNezTsrCY0Q]

You can watch the entire film on hulu.com (for free). A direct link is provided below:

Scaling – The beauty of CrossFit is the way it can be scaled. A wise athlete will learn their limits, listen to their bodies, and scales their workouts according to their individual ability. There is nothing to prove by ‘keeping up’ with someone at the expense of form. Check your ego at the door. Or CrossFit will ball your ego up in a crinkled mess and send you home. Most of our workouts come from CrossFit.com – an elite fitness program made to consistently exceed the limits of elite athletes. Trying to attack them Rx’d is a decision that should be made with care and just because you can do some workouts as Rx’d, doesn’t mean you should think you can do them all Rx’d.

CrossFit Placer will use a level system for suggesting scaling options. Use them as a guide to help you select your workout weight. For example, today’s workout can be scaled like this.

Proceed with a long-term vision, make smart choices, otherwise you could end up like this guy: Diesel Weasel (only the watch the first 45 seconds, may favorite part is at around :32 just when the bar comes off the ground)

This is a fundraising event for the families of the soldiers killed at Fort Hood one month ago. You can click here to make a donation now or you can bring your donation to the workout. All affiliates and friends are welcome at CrossFit East Sacramento at 0830 or 1000 to participate. Please plan to make a donation even if it is small. Every bit helps out to support our community. Click here for the official Lumberjack 20 Memorial WOD website.

***On Saturday: CrossFit Placer will not be open. We will be working out at CrossFit East Sacramento and doing the Lumberjack Memorial Workout. Donations are expected to support the families of the fallen soldiers and can be made by clicking here. Workout times are at 8:30 and 10:00. I will be there at both times to assist and coach you. Scaling options will be available for all people at all levels. Bring family, friends, and pets. CrossFit East Sacramento is always a good host and a good time will be had by all working out with some of our local CrossFit community to show our support for the fallen soldiers at Ft. Hood.***

Friday’s are Athlete’s Choice/Open Gym. Make-up a missed WOD, work on your year-end goals, lift heavy, get your muscle-up. If you are going to do this workout at CrossFit East Sacramento on Saturday morning, then try this one as a prepper:

***On Saturday: CrossFit Placer will not be open. We will be working out at CrossFit East Sacramento and doing the Lumberjack Memorial Workout. Donations are expected to support the families of the fallen soldiers and can be made by clicking here. Workout times are at 8:30 and 10:00. I will be there at both times to assist and coach you. Scaling options will be available for all people at all levels. Bring family, friends, and pets. CrossFit East Sacramento is always a good host and a good time will be had by all working out with some of our local CrossFit community to show our support for the fallen soldiers at Ft. Hood.***

**Coach’s Note: Take 3-4 warm-up sets on the press then go for a personal record (PR).**

People can’t get enough of the farmer’s walk challenge. Ashley completed the 400 m lap without setting the kettlebells down. Kelsey completed the 400m without setting the dumbbells down. Darrin and Faith hold the men’s and women’s gym record at 3:15 without a set down for Darrin and 4:19 for Faith. Ashley’s time was 4:20. Every second counts!!!

Plenty of time will be spent going over clean technique before progressing through the workout. The workout will not be timed but each rep must be flawless for it to count. Think of this as a skill training day. Clean weight selection can be modified up or down during the workout. Go for unbroken sets.

“…I thought someone had kicked me in the calf…or maybe hit me with a baseball bat. But what in the world would someone be doing with a baseball bat out on the football field?
Unfortunately, the “hit” was also accompanied by a loud “pop”. That isn’t a good sign…or sound.
Then I went down…and looked around. No one was there. When I tried to get up, there was a very distinct feeling in my calf. The English word is “PAIN!”
So, here’s the bottom line. The big muscle in the upper part of the calf is called the “gastrocnemius”. It actually has two major portions, medial & lateral. Running up between them is the plantaris tendon.
I tore them.
They hurt.
I hurt.
Now, before you start thinking nasty thoughts about why I was even out there playing football in the first place, you should know that this happens to even great professional athletes, like Albert Pujois. So, it has nothing to do with age or ineptness or whatever else you are thinking. I am actually in pretty good shape…or at least I was.
So, I spent Thanksgiving with my leg up, icing it and trying to keep the swelling down… I was somewhere just below worthless.
It has now been 5 days and I’m still worthless. I certainly can’t walk on it. And, in fact, I think it hurts more today than ever. (Am I a wimp, or what?) My leg is discolored–something close to an unmentionable yellow. My ankle is black & blue. And I can’t do much at all.
But more than that, it is amazing to me when I realize how just one muscle and tendon can end up disrupting your whole life.
How true, though. Little things can become major barriers and obstacles that can hinder us.
Is there a relationship in your life that needs to be mended?
Is there bitterness needing to be resolved?
Is there a task that has been hanging around your neck that you just keep putting off?
Or a phone call? Or a letter? Or a visit?
Sometimes those nagging obstacles aren’t that hard to deal with. We just need to act.
I wish mine were easy to resolve. I know some of yours aren’t either. But doing nothing will only insure that it will never go away or, may possibly even get worse. That’s especially true of bitterness.
So, the best thing to do is just do it.”

The fitness application should be obvious. If you have something holding you back. Address it. If could involve going to a higher level by attacking a weakness like basic strength, fundamental mechanics, or power & intensity. Or, it could be more serious, like letting an injury rest and heal properly, or maybe a visit to a physical therapist or a naturopathic doctor. Address the weakness, don’t ignore it, don’t put it off. The whole system will be more fit if you address the obstacle.